Sun Smart

Growing up in Canada there wasn't a huge deal made about sun protection. We're fully covered for 8 months of the year and the UV index rarely rose to 12. However, the sun is different here in Australia and even at cooler temperatures it can sizzle the skin. With the weather starting to stabilise and summer on our doorstep, Toby Shingleton reminds us that as cyclists we are extremely vulnerable to Melanoma and it's an issue close to his heart.

The catalyst for Lance Armstrong’s comeback was said, to “raise cancer awareness”… But now many are asking “what he was really seeking to achieve?” The man has been shown to be a sporting fraud, but something important remains. Melanoma is a danger to those who spend time outdoors but as cyclists we can take precaution.

There are some things in life you can change. Choices can be made, different directions taken, other roads found to ride down. Most Australians can decide what they do and when they do it, but at some point they will inevitably make some bad choices. Every day when we wake up and step out the front door we put ourselves, to some degree, at risk of injury or even death as a result of our decisions.

If we aimed to avoid injury or limit the risk of hurting ourselves, we’d spend the day in the house with the lights off and the curtains drawn, desperately hoping Mormons didn’t come knocking. We would never see daylight, but would this allow us to live any longer? Probably not. Science and common sense tell us that leading an active and stimulating life can help increase our lifespan. If you don’t eat junk food and ride your bike every day, you may live to be 100. We hope. But what price do we pay for this activity?

As bike riders, are we exposing ourselves to more risk than others? Reading some columns in the daily newspapers or hearing the opinions of talkback callers on radio networks around the land, you might believe you’re lucky to be alive. By choosing to ride bicycles we risk exposing ourselves to known dangers. We are aware and take precautions. And we hope that the motorists who vent their frustrations through aggression learn a little bit about the notion of sharing the road.

This is about a different kind of cycling safety. Just being outside presents a threat. The sun is the problem. And that bright spark of hydrogen and helium about 146 million kilometres away is much harder to control than even the most misinformed driver. You can attempt to negotiate with a motorist but the sun couldn’t care less what you do. It’s going to keep on burning no matter what, and therein lies the problem. Cyclists beware: you’re vulnerable.

Those of us who ride regularly have a head start on many in the population when it comes to life expectancy. Our choice of exercise tends to keep us active for longer than the 30 minutes of “modest physical activity” that the Australian Government specifies in its latest campaign to try and make people healthier. Many of us pedal for at least twice as long as the recommended time most days. Throw in a longer session on the weekend and we should expect our ticker to be relatively healthy.

The Grim Reaper will eventually come knocking but we can at least steer him away from our door for a while.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which is often described as the most deadly. It is one of the few cancers known that is virtually impossible to cure once it gets into your body. It’s something Australians learn about at a very early age. We see the ads insisting that we “Slip, slop, slap…” and, in the latest campaigns, we see graphic clips of cancer ravaging what appears to be a healthy body. However, do we change our behaviour and take these messages on board? Not always. Sometimes never.

Tan lines may appear over the years but that doesn’t mean they are cool. In fact, they should be avoided. Skin cancer is a topic of importance for many Australians.

For me, it’s not that I’ve lost a loved one to skin cancer or suffered from it myself, but largely because of my wife Julia. As a specialist oncology pharmacist she fights cancer every day. Through her experiences with patients, I have a new respect for the people who struggle against this illness. I have also come to understand how the decisions of the population affect those who are victim to it, as these can influence what resources go into fighting this terrible disease.I now realise how random and indiscriminate cancer can be.

I remember vividly when I asked my wife, “What’s the worst, most horrible form of cancer?” Without a moment’s pause, she told me. “Melanoma.” This is what strikes down the young, middle-aged and old; the hardworking, the fit and the healthy. It comes to those who are active and those who believe they’re doing the right thing looking after themselves. It comes to those who spend time in the sun. It could be categorised as a preventable disease.

Don’t fear the sun though. Just be smart about the time you spend exposed to it. Treat it like you would the risks in traffic: be aware and take precautions. It’s been estimated that 90 per cent of melanoma is preventable through reduced exposure. Research indicates that skin cancer rates soared by 86% between 1997 and 2010, and are set to increase by a further 22% between 2010 and 2015. By the age of 14, it is predicted, 70 per cent of Australians will have damage to their skin caused by the sun. This includes areas that you may think are not getting as much exposure as other parts of your body. Recent studies show that UV exposure for a cyclist’s ankles, inner thighs and calves can be up to 70 per cent of that in places like the top of the head. So how can we affect these statistics and not become another victim? We consider our antics. We listen to the urges to be aware.

We act with commonsense because of what science has told us and we cover up against UV rays. Let’s at least be savvy to the dangers. We rug up to avoid the cold. When it rains we wear wet weather gear. When the sun is shining, then we should just as instinctively apply lashings of sunscreen. If you’re going for a long ride, pack a tube of protection in with your puncture kit. The facts exist to show us we are vulnerable. So we should be prepared to change our habits.

Our fashion sensibilities as cyclists are driven by European trends and tastes. Despite the fact that we ride in an environment which subjects us to UV levels far beyond those in the northern hemisphere, we choose to mimic clothing style choices. It’s rare to see a weekend cyclist with zinc cream on their face or sun sleeves to protect their arms, and even rarer to see someone wearing a cap with protection at the back. Many cyclists wear tan lines like a badge of honour. For the professionals it’s hard to avoid.

If you ride 40,000km in a year, it can’t all be done in perfectly safe conditions: controlled roads to guard against motorists or covered head to toe in Lycra to avoid the burn of the dreaded UV. Even in the best conditions, you could crash. Or you could attract the sting of the sun and not even feel the damage being done to your skin. At this time of year a cyclist in Australia gets UV exposure that can be as much as three times that in Europe. So consider all you can do to really reduce your risks. It’s time for attitudes to change. And not just those at the top level.

An edited version of this text originally appeared as a Back Page in RIDE Cycling Review Issue 43. There will be a new issue of RIDE Cycling Review on-sale in Australia and via digital download around the world on December 7th. For more information visit ridemedia.com.au.

Timely reminder to get some UV arm protectors. I’m looking at the ones available from http://www.voler.com but would be interested if anyone has a recommendation.

The sun is brutal in SEQ this time of year.

http://twitter.com/cyclist_dave Dave

Assos make them. At least, they used to, because I have a pair of them that work well.

jules

i have some Pearl Izumi ones. with long arms i bought XL but in their view XL = Mr Universe and they keep slipping down my pea shooters, so take care with sizing.

Michael Hyde

i just tried to buy the ones off Voler.
But they don’t ship outside US or Canada…
Any other Aus suggestions?

Floody

Timely reminder to get some UV arm protectors. I’m looking at the ones available from http://www.voler.com but would be interested if anyone has a recommendation.

The sun is brutal in SEQ this time of year.

http://www.chromaticdramatic.com/ Chromatic Dramatic

Having just had a skin cancer cut out from my nose (I look pretty)… I’ll back this up. Fortunately mine wasn’t a melanoma, but a BCC…

http://profiles.google.com/aglogan Andy Logan

Last year during the summer I always carried a small tube of sunscreen in my back jersey pocket if I was going for a long ride. I will be doing the same again this year.

I will be honest though I dont bother sticking it on for my 6am rides and yes like many cyclist wear the tan lines with pride. I blame the The Rules for this.

http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips

There are some brands that do arm screen protectors with 50UPF. You’re all going to nail me for saying this, but Rapha is one of them: http://www.rapha.cc/arm-screens/

http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips

There are some brands that do arm screen protectors with 50UPF. You’re all going to nail me for saying this, but Rapha is one of them: http://www.rapha.cc/arm-screens/

ben

rapha, rapha, get him! pushing his employeer again. im sick of this unqualified promotion, im going to boycott this blog for at least 12 minutes.

Hubbard

Simple yet effective! (and without the chemicals.) They look good too!

Wore these all last summer. Not so hubbard after all….

Hubbard

Simple yet effective! (and without the chemicals.) They look good too!

Wore these all last summer. Not so hubbard after all….

Sam

These looks great but I’ve been hunting around for a leg or knee version. Just ordered some Assos ones, hopefully they’ll fit!

http://twitter.com/cyclist_dave Dave

I’ve been meaning to write something about skin and the sun for the last couple of years.

Some sunlight is very important for health (vitamin D), yet too much is potentially very dangerous. There are a lot of people who don’t get enough, and a lot who get too much, and us cyclists are much more likely to fall into the latter category.

At its best, being exposed to too much sunlight (or, UV radiation) merely damages the skin. It’s commonly referred to as premature ageing, but it’s not — a 35 year old who’s lived their life in the sun could have much worse skin than a 70 year old who’s looked after their skin. Here’s a good example of the damage the sun can do: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/06/bill-mcelligott-sun-damage_n_1573546.html.

It’s a very sensible idea to avoid riding during the parts of the day when the UV index is at its peak. In Melbourne we have http://www.arpansa.gov.au/uvindex/realtime/mel_rt.htm (there are similar charts for each capital city in Australia) which shows the predicted and measured UV index for the current day, which says that you should be riding before 9am or after 5pm today if you want to avoid high levels of UV radiation.

Also, the temperature has nothing to do with the UV index (except for the fact that UV indexes and the temperature are both higher in summer than winter), so a cool but sunny day in the middle of summer will have roughly the same UV index as a 40 degree and sunny day in the middle of summer. The UV index varies with the season (in summer the sun is close to directly above us, whereas in winter the sun is at a more oblique angle, which means that there is more atmosphere between us and the sun to absorb the radiation), cloud cover (although it’s a lot more complicated than that more cloud cover means a lower UV index), and atmospheric conditions.

As an albino, I may well be Melbourne’s palest bike rider, even worse than most redheads. Tan lines aren’t even on the agenda. A couple of doses of sunburn that I copped when young and dumb, oh man – blisters on shoulders that burst and turned into craters of dry skin resembling the moon’s surface… ooof, you probably don’t wanna know. So cycling was a bit of an odd recreational move for me, considering it brings me into regular contact with my mortal enemy.

Through some trial and error I”ve worked out what works for me, and it mainly comes down to leaving as little skin exposed as I can without resorting to mummification. Sleeves or arm screens are excellent; for anyone irritated by their ill-fitting ones sagging down, I’d suggest a long-sleeve compression baselayer for the same effect (Skins ones are rated SPF 50+). I would also seriously look at 3/4 knickers that are constructed from regular lycra rather than any brushed or Roubaix fabric, as you get the coverage over the knees without the overheating you might get from knee warmers.

Invisible Zinc 4-hour water resistant

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=552410532 Ben Pilot

great to see a few of the PRO’s running the SPF tube in the back pocket with say 50% left in it, with the lid off, and pointing up!!! just squeeze and apply on the go while out in the sun for 6-8hrs on the fly….. great idea!

Anonymous

PS: Hairy legs don’t tan very well :-)

TDB

This Ginger rides mostly at dusk or night – Take that Sun!

Lauren

I go through a large tube of invisible zinc every summer. Already had one pre-cancerous mole cut out of my arm and I know that eventually I’m in for more.

But I’m trying to minimise the damage by always wearing sun sleeves (yup, even got the Rapha ones which I love!) and slathering on the sunscreen on the rest of my exposed skin before every ride. I strongly recommend the invisible zinc – yes it’s hard to get on but it stays on. I’ve never sweated it off. But the trick is to put it on at least 20 minutes before you head out. All sunscreens need time to settle on your skin. Even the Cancer Council says this.

Lauren

I go through a large tube of invisible zinc every summer. Already had one pre-cancerous mole cut out of my arm and I know that eventually I’m in for more.

But I’m trying to minimise the damage by always wearing sun sleeves (yup, even got the Rapha ones which I love!) and slathering on the sunscreen on the rest of my exposed skin before every ride. I strongly recommend the invisible zinc – yes it’s hard to get on but it stays on. I’ve never sweated it off. But the trick is to put it on at least 20 minutes before you head out. All sunscreens need time to settle on your skin. Even the Cancer Council says this.

Adam

Can anyone recommend a long sleeve cycling top that is designed for hot weather rather than cool weather.

http://twitter.com/cyclist_dave Dave

You’d be best off with a regular short sleeve jersey and “arm warmers” that are made purely for sun protection.